Walking with boombox on shoulders


mirrorimageegamirorrim

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A guy walking down the sidewalk with a boombox on his shoulders is an iconic image of the 80's.  What is the earliest instance you can cite of this in movies or television?  I'm trying to figure out who was the first to do this humorous meme.  Does it go back to the 70's?  Also, what are some of your favorite instances of this, regardless of date? Thanks for playing!

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i don't know about this. it became popular to my memory around 1983. i want to think i've seen it in the A-Team. they always shot in L.A., and quite a few times near the beach.

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I remember it also from about the mid-80s. In real life, that is. Don't know if life was simply imitating art here in Europe, or if you guys over there in the U.S. really also had people doing this in real life.

Kind of an antisocial thing to do, forcing those around you to listen to your particular taste in music, and at loud volume... :)

IMO you were forgiven only if you were performing a visually appealing breakdance act to your boom box on the sidewalk. ;)

Edited by Daytona74
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Thanks, guys!  That is a great link, Sonny-Burnett!  If that film is from '80 then the practice almost certainly dates back to the 70's.

Does this ever happen in Vice?  

I just checked the IMDB for Times Square and noticed it has (at least) two Miami Vice guest actors in it: Robin Johnson (Candy from "Golden Triangle") and Miguel Pinero.  How cool is that!

Edited by mirrorimageegamirorrim
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51 minutes ago, mirrorimageegamirorrim said:

 

I just checked the IMDB for Times Square and noticed it has (at least) two Miami Vice guest actors in it: Robin Johnson (Candy from "Golden Triangle") and Miguel Pinero.  How cool is that!

Cool!    :thumbsup:

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1 hour ago, mirrorimageegamirorrim said:

Thanks, guys!  That is a great link, Sonny-Burnett!  If that film is from '80 then the practice almost certainly dates back to the 70's.

Does this ever happen in Vice?  

I just checked the IMDB for Times Square and noticed it has (at least) two Miami Vice guest actors in it: Robin Johnson (Candy from "Golden Triangle") and Miguel Pinero.  How cool is that!

Also has other Vice actors such as Michael Margotta who played Tony Rivers, JC Quinn who played DEA agent Harrison. I've not seen this film, but it apparently has quite a period soundtrack.

Btw, on the link above did you notice the drawing of the kid with the G-Blaster on his shoulder? It was dated late 70s.

As to being in Vice I can recall the scene in Bad Timing where Scotty's Boombox is seen duct-taped to his wife. I'm pretty sure there are other scenes where we see G-Blasters besides Brother's Keeper.

Edited by Sonny-Burnett
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vor 50 Minuten schrieb Sonny-Burnett:

As to being in Vice I can recall the scene in Bad Timing where Scotty's Boombox is seen duct-taped to his wife. I'm pretty sure there are other scenes where we see G-Blasters besides Brother's Keeper.

 

IIRC, one of the thugs in "Nobody Lives Forever" was also carrying a small boom box around with him... and that obnoxious kid in "In The Line Of Fire".

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1 hour ago, Sonny-Burnett said:

Also has other Vice actors such as Michael Margotta who played Tony Rivers, JC Quinn who played DEA agent Harrison. I've not seen this film, but it apparently has quite a period soundtrack.

Btw, on the link above did you notice the drawing of the kid with the G-Blaster on his shoulder? It was dated late 70s.

As to being in Vice I can recall the scene in Bad Timing where Scotty's Boombox is seen duct-taped to his wife. I'm pretty sure there are other scenes where we see G-Blasters besides Brother's Keeper.

Excellent work with the other actors.  I'm not very good with the names of most of the guest actors so I likely never would have noticed these two.  I researched who Candy was a long time ago because I thought she was hot and everybody knows who Pinero is.  

I just finished scrolling down and I saw the drawing dated '78.  Very cool!   

Is the scene from the pilot you're talking about from the teaser?  

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15 minutes ago, Daytona74 said:

 

IIRC, one of the thugs in "Nobody Lives Forever" was also carrying a small boom box around with him... and that obnoxious kid in "In The Line Of Fire".

Sorry, but what is IIRC?  

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actually I will say the big place you started seeing it show up was in music videos, many of which featured break dancing in that time theme and crowd scene's with the boom boxes.

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Although it wasn't a boombox, in the 1976 film Silver Streak Gene Wilder's character puts a radio on his shoulder and sneaks on to a train while pretending to be black.  So that is my first memory of someone doing this. Very funny movie.

 

 

 

 

 

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The first memorable scene involving a boombox as I rememeber was in Death Wish II (1982) where some unintentional and very hilarious bad guys drags around with a huge boombox, made even more funnier as Larry Fishburne ends up trying to use it as a bulletproof shield, which did not work very well. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Aged 17 , in college 

A boy called Simon, all tight jeans, winklepicker buckle boots and Billy idol hairdo 

I loved him 

I hung out with him in my red suede winklepicker buckle boots and black skin tight jeans.

I adored him, I thought he was the coolest most magnificent specimen of lad dom I had ever known.

We hung out at the shopping precinct (mall) with his boombox slung ever so casual like on his shoulder, his snarled lip in place should someone over the age of 25 disapprove. Oh horrors.

We went roller skating together , he held my hand , briefly. 

We shared wimpy quaterpounders with cheese when they were a novelty. 

We got the bus together to college, talked about music and....stuff 

I trembled when he came to my checkout at the grocery shop I worked in at the weeeknd,  he would do it deliberately as I would blush furiously in my nylon checked zip fronted frock. I embellished my big hair with multiple bows to distract from the sheer hideousness such a fashion faux pas. 

The fateful day arrived ...we finished college. Aside fromantic a glimpse of him in woolworths Xmas 1987 I didn't see him again.....until....

Friend's reunited arrived , I looked him up....He was there , I messaged 

He messaged back...you were the cute little one who studied. I loved you but I couldn't tell you. I was scared because you were a good girl and I was a bad boy.

WHAT!!!! I could've married him...I could've had his babies....Instead there I was 2006 with 2 children and a recent very ex husband! 

I told that at the time I adored him, I would've done anything for him, I thought he was the most supreme being in my small town.

He was in a band through the 90s, he toured Europe,  hes a drummer. and he's still gorgeous, 

Unrequited love , how very sad.

He now has a partner and a 3 year old, we exchange the odd facebook comment, he's still drumming at the weekends and evenings and I'm still...well I'm still.....

That's my boombox boy, my super crush, my unrequited love. 

 

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